Thank you message from Hans Zeiger

You made the difference. We won our recount by 30 votes (out of about
52,000 cast), certified by the Pierce County Auditor on Friday. That’s
compelling proof that every vote matters! Thank you for your commitment to
our campaign that made victory possible.

I should take the opportunity to thank Rep. Dawn Morrell for her eight
years of public service. She is a fine nurse and a good lady. It was a
pleasure getting to know her during the campaign. I wish her all the best,
and I’m sure that she will continue to be a strong voice in our community
and in the health care policy arena.

An election is a celebration of our Founding idea, the idea that all human
beings are created equal and must give their consent to be governed. During
the campaign, I often quoted Article I Section I of the Washington State
Constitution: “All political power is inherent in the people, and
governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and
are established to protect and maintain individual rights.” That ought to
instruct today’s legislators about the source of their power and the
purpose of the public institutions they oversee.

It will not be easy to close a $5.7 billion budget shortfall, but it’s not
a hopeless task. The awesome resources of a free people stretch far beyond
any government budget ever did or ever will. In many cases, the best way
out of the problems with state government is to get the problems out of the
government. That’s the only way, in this economy, that we can preserve our
core public commitments: K-12 education, public safety, and care for the
most vulnerable.

I hope that you will help to hold me accountable as I go to Olympia on
January 10. Thank you.